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Director Neil Jordan most notoriously dealt with transvestites in his remarkable film, THE CRYING GAME. He returns in this film with the boy who wanted to dress like a girl as the center of the narrative.

Patrick “Kitten” Braden (Cillian Murphy, BATMAN BEGINS) is the product of an affair between the priest Father Bernard (Liam Neeson, KINSEY) and his maid Eily Bergin (Eva Birthistle, BLOODY SUNDAY). He is adopted by an uncaring woman (Ruth McCabe, INTERMISSION), who can’t stand his “nancy” ways. His best friend is a girl named Charlie (Ruth Negga, COLOUR ME KUBRICK), who is dating a wanna-be IRA rebel named Irwin (Laurence Kinlan, NED KELLY). Kitten finally leaves his hometown when he decides he’s had enough of his adopted mother’s abuse and heads for London to find his mother. What he’s really looking for is love.

Through several episodes in his life, we see Kitten fall in and out with various people, including the glam rocker Billy Hatchet (Gavin Friday, THE BOXER), the magician Bertie (Stephen Rea, THE CRYING GAME) and surly costumed children’s entertainer John-Joe (Brendan Gleeson, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE). The film is set during the height of the IRA bombings during the 1960s and 1970s. However, Kitten isn’t interested at all in revolution — it’s all too serious for him.

Murphy is magnificent as Kitten — infusing the character with a sad optimism that allows him to carry on and avoid deep depression. The humor is very Oscar Wilde and film fans familiar with THE CRYING GAME will find Stephen Rae’s introduction kind of ironically humorous. The story isn’t breaking new ground or dealing with new issues, however it has an original life of its own that lifts the story up, making it compulsively watchable.

It’s a whimsical — even a bit sentimental — turn for Jordan whose films for the most part have been darker and more emotionally devastating — his brilliant MONA LISA always comes to mind. With a nice touch of visual effects to add to the whimsy, the film is visually brilliant with bold colors. With its lively look and wonderful central performance, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO floats along on a carefree bliss, which provides entertainment through and through.